We’re working on an exciting documentary film project about the history of the Organ Grinder restaurants in Portland and Denver. Take a look at our Blog to see our progress, sign up to receive news and updates via email, or check out our Facebook Group which has a lively community. We want your stories – especially if you were a fan/patron or staff!
Many Thanks to Our Sponsors
Watch the Teaser Trailer!
-
Welcome and Introduction
“Guess What’s Coming” – Those were the words on the new sign outside the first Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland as it was nearing completion in 1973. It’s a very appropriate phrase, as something new is coming – a documentary film project which seeks to tell the whole story behind the rise and fall of…
-
New! Official Organ Grinder T-Shirts
Now Available for Preorder! When we surveyed the members of our Facebook Group as to their preference for the next crowdfunding perk, T-Shirts were the top choice! Through a special arrangement with the beloved restaurant’s owners, and hours of work by a volunteer graphic artist who accurately reconstituted the Organ Grinder logo from source materials,…
-
A Colorful Cast of Characters*
(*Or, “Nerding Out about Credits” Part II) It takes a lot of people to make a movie – including a documentary. This film may be very lean on the crew side (often it’s just me doing the shoots), but it’s especially heavy on the participant side, whether its the long list of interviewees, or people…
-
Help Out the Project by Not Spending a Dime!
Sometimes little things help a lot… Our YouTube channel has hit 400 subscribers with 1,366 “watch hours” in the past year, which is great – but, if we reach 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours, the channel becomes eligible to raise money and take contributions via YouTube. You can help us simply by subscribing to…
-
The Denver-to-Hollywood Connection
What do you do when you’re interviewing folks in Denver about the Organ Grinder, but one person you’d really like to talk with doesn’t live there anymore? Well – if you’re lucky – you just wait a bit and then they come to you! In June, we interviewed Los Angeles-based performing artist John West while…
-
Would the Last Person to Play Please Turn Off the Pipe Organ?
DeLoy Goeglein was about ten years old when his musical journey began, learning to play both piano and organ. He would play in church and go on to play at venues all around the Denver area. During our Denver Road Trip, we sat down with DeLoy at his daughter’s home in a Denver suburb, to…
-
Rebel Without A Tibia Clausa
(*Editor’s note: The title of this piece is a poorly-constructed pipe organ joke. Explanation at end.) You wouldn’t guess from his tough, tattooed, motorcycle-riding aesthetic today, but Frank Perko III holds the distinction of having been the youngest-ever staff performer at the Organ Grinder, hired to play at the Denver location at the age of…
-
From Star Wars to Rising Star
Justin Adams had an early and indelible introduction to the Organ Grinder restaurant in Denver: “My earliest memory of being at the organ grinder was when I was five years old. This was around 1977, 1978, the same years as Star Wars came out. My whole world exploded with wonder and awe, and the mighty…
-
Organ Grinder Time Capsule!
(Post updated 2025-07-13 with technical info.) In this newly-acquired footage from the 1970s, organist Jonas Nordwall performs a full set at the Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland, Oregon. This compilation is from vintage video tapes which were recently provided to the documentary project. Sometime around 1977, representatives from Sony visited the Organ Grinder to test…
-
The Calm Before the End
During our Denver Road Trip, we interviewed organist Jim Calm about his experiences at the Organ Grinder. Jim comes from a musical family. He started taking piano lessons as a child – his parents bought a piano from a neighbor down the street, and rolled it up the road to Jim’s home. “I was playing…
-
The Washington Post March at the Organ Grinder
Happy Fourth of July! In this newly-acquired footage from the 1970s, organist Jonas Nordwall performs John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post” March at the Organ Grinder restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The Organ Grinder’s performers would work various bits into each 45-50min set, including interacting with the mechanical monkey. The organist would play along as the monkey…
-
Feature Article in Denver’s Westword Newspaper
Westword is Denver’s weekly news and entertainment publication, with a print circulation over 270,000 and an online readership of 1.5 million. During the Denver Road Trip, it was an honor to be invited to sit with reporter Gil Asakawa for a couple of hours, discussing the documentary project and the history of the Organ Grinder….
You can help support the project by purchasing from the Crowdfunding Shop.